Rock of pages

The 33 1/3 book series draws authors interested in sharing a bond with an album

September 29, 2012|By Josh Noel

33 1/3 being (mostly) rock and roll, the books are rarely straight-ahead tomes. They veer often into the personal, the passionate and the fire that led an author to find 30,000 words on, say, "Spiderland" by Slint (and in fact, many people vied to write about that record). Right there in the first paragraph of the first book in the series, "Dusty in Memphis," Warren Zanes writes, "This book is about an experience with a record more than it is about a record." And so it often goes in 33 1/3.

Colin Meloy's take on The Replacements' "Let It Be" is as much about himself as the record (as front man for a successful rock band — The Decemberists — he can probably get away with that). Rob Trucks' "Tusk," about the Fleetwood Mac album initially considered a failure in the shadow of its predecessor, "Rumours," is primarily concerned with a character named Rob and such fascinating tidbits as, "If Rob attempts to raise his arm straight out from his side, like, say, a bird, a shooting pain develops just as his arm reaches parallel to his body."

What does this have to do with Fleetwood Mac? Nothing. But for anyone obsessed with mid-era Fleetwood Mac (guilty), that's the sacrifice for a book-length discussion on "Tusk."

Others split the difference. Amanda Petrusich's "Pink Moon" is, after a slightly self-obsessed first chapter, a poetic tale about 28 of the best minutes ever put to tape, while many have no "I" factor whatsoever. With 33 1/3 you're rarely just getting a critical analysis of an album. But sometimes you are. Which was Barker's intention.

"The people I initially wanted to write, I thought I'd never get them to write to a rigid format," he said. "I thought it might be more fun to see how they wanted to go about it."

Though an early champion of first person-heavy narratives, Barker sees the series pulling away from that trend: "As I grow older and the series grows older, I want slightly different things from it. I'd be reluctant to put out one of these books now without a bit more documentation and history."

Though no two books in the series are quite alike, they're all, if nothing else, fun to read while listening to the album that was its inspiration. It's probably no accident that one of the most-lauded is particularly light on navel gazing. Carl Wilson's "Let's Talk About Love." (yes, about the Celine Dion record) is not about himself and barely about the record. It is an examination of taste and why the author so dislikes something adored by so many. It's a sociology text.

"That's one where every bone in your body says don't do it," Barker said. "But the proposal was a work of genius. The fascinating thing to me is that he didn't write it, and we didn't publish it, as an academic book, but it's used in courses."

Even if 33 1/3 hasn't quite found the formula for a constant run of best sellers (more bondage and vampires?), it isn't going anywhere. Bloomsbury Publishing, which acquired Continuum last year, has affirmed its commitment to the series in its academic wing, and 18 more titles have been slated for release in 2013 and 2014, from Michael Jackson to Dead Kennedys.

The endurance summons a classic line about the Velvet Underground's first record, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (it's number 11 in the 33 1/3 series), along the lines of, "It sold just 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought one started a band."

"I don't know that we've sold that many books," Barker said. "But everyone wants to write one of these things."

Josh Noel writes about travel and beer for the Chicago Tribune. He is hard at work on a proposal for a 33 1/3 book about the legendary "Bert & Ernie's Greatest Hits."

Rockin' reads

David Barker, editor of the 33 1/3 series, recommends five books for those unfamiliar with the series.

James Brown: Live at the Apollo, by Douglas Wolk. "A thrilling, evocative account of the recording of this live album. Wolk is brilliant on JB's showmanship, and the whole book is heightened by the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis."

The Band: Music from Big Pink, by John Niven. "A work of fiction, told from the perspective of a friend/hanger-on/drug dealer who was close to the Dylan/Band crowd at the time. It's sad, funny, moving and perceptive — and the only book in the series to which we've sold the movie rights so far."

The Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique, by Dan LeRoy. "Incredibly thorough research and reporting on this pivotal time in the Beasties' career. It's impossible to read this book and not be impressed by Dan's attention to detail, passion, and sense of fun."

Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, by Christopher Weingarten. "A remarkable, sustained piece of hip-hop writing, in which Weingarten dismantles the album sample by sample."

Television: Marquee Moon, by Bryan Waterman. "Social and cultural history mixed with lyrical and musical analysis. The New York punk scene is well-trodden ground, but Waterman does a wonderful job of bringing this particular story to life."